


To Spring

by TomatoBookworm



Series: Her Heritage [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Chinese New Year, Future Fic, Gen, Mentions past Andrew Garner/Melinda May, mentions canon character deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22503922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomatoBookworm/pseuds/TomatoBookworm
Summary: The first time Lian heard about Skye was shortly before Chinese New Year.
Relationships: Melinda May & Melinda May's Mother, Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Melinda May’s Mother & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Series: Her Heritage [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1206591
Comments: 18
Kudos: 126





	To Spring

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TurtlemanTremors084 (Killjoys4life)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killjoys4life/gifts), [the_marathon_continues](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_marathon_continues/gifts).



> *This work is posted on ArchiveOfOurOwn.org for free. I do not object to personal downloads via ArchiveOfOurOwn. If you are reading it through any other means, please know that you are doing so on an unauthorized site/app. Thank you. 
> 
> \- Cultural sensitivity note: I know many different groups celebrate the Lunar New Year and each culture has its own practices. For the purposes of this fic, where I am focusing on canonically Chinese American characters, I am choosing to use the term Chinese New Year and its associated traditions. 
> 
> \- Chinese New Year is also known in Mandarin Chinese as the Spring Festival, a harbinger of spring.

The first time Lian heard about Skye was shortly before Chinese New Year. 

Melinda had finally stepped out of that damn office. Lian didn’t like to admit when Fury had bested her at something, interagency rivalry and all, but she did decide to give Fury a pass next time he messed up. Not that she told him so. 

Phil didn’t get a pass. He might think he persuaded Melinda to leave the cubicle, but Lian knew better. The man couldn’t do it before. None of them could. Not Andrew, not William, not her. 

So, Lian felt no reservations about calling Melinda home for Chinese New Year. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents thought the world revolved around them, but Phil and his team could stay grounded for a few days. Melinda shut herself in a cold and barren cubicle after Bahrain, and Lian intended to be there to greet her when Melinda was ready to step out. After all, the spring festival was a time for family to come together. 

Melinda didn’t bother to let Lian speak when she answered the phone. “I can’t leave.”

“Not even for the new year?” 

“You didn’t always make it home either,” Melinda pointed out. 

“Only because the free world would end otherwise,” Lian said. “Is the world ending now?”

“Not exactly,” Melinda paused. “Coulson was kidnapped.”

It explained the abruptness in Melinda’s manner, but not the unspoken worry in her voice. “He’s been in tough situations before. He can handle himself.”

“He was taken in front of me.” Melinda’s voice was steady, but Lian could hear the self-loathing in her daughter’s voice. “I couldn’t stop it. I can’t leave the team until I get him back.”

“The team. They are helping you?” 

“Director Fury has sent in people to assist.” Melinda’s tone suggested otherwise. 

“So you are grounded.”

“As if anyone other than you and Dad could ever ground me,” Melinda said with some of her old sass. “The plane is off the air right now, and so is the team. Except for Skye.”

“Skye?”

“Civilian hacker that Coulson picked up from the streets. She went into the system unauthorized to find clues to Coulson’s kidnappers. Agent Hand kicked her out.”

“Oh?” A civilian could be a good source of information when necessary, but she and Melinda generally avoided involving outsiders in missions. “Let me know if you need another pair of eyes or ears.”

“No, one is enough,” Melinda said. Her voice was confident. “Skye will come through.”

Skye became a recurring name. Melinda was hit hard by S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fall. When Lian decided to give Fury a pass on his next mistake, she didn’t mean he could let Hydra infiltrat the entire organization. Fortunately, Skye decided to stay. Melinda would never allow herself to see it, but she had a strong maternal instinct and Skye became her mentee. Having someone to guide and protect helped Melinda to hold steady on her sense of direction. Lian had never met the girl, but she was grateful for Skye’s presence in Melinda’s life. 

In spite of S.H.I.E.L.D. going underground, Melinda was healing from Bahrain. She even went on a vacation with Andrew. Lian had high hopes for them finding their way back together. Then everything changed again. Andrew became a monstrous killer and yet he died saving Skye, or rather now Daisy, who had received her own powers and losses. This time, Daisy left. 

Lian wanted to hold her daughter like she used when Melinda was still a small child. She couldn’t take the pain and the hurt away, but at least she could give Melinda a space to grief. No visit was forthcoming. Melinda threw herself into the job, first finding Daisy, then adjusting to the new director, and later training more agents. It took Lian months to extract the promise that Melinda would come for Chinese New Year. Later, when Melinda told her Daisy was back, Lian asked Melinda to bring the young woman as well. 

They didn’t make it. Melinda and Daisy and all the rest of the team disappeared. Lian pulled out every last connection she possessed, called in all the favors, combed through the world. No one knew where they went. Lian had missed new year celebrations with her family before to save the world. Now people around the world are celebrating the arrival of spring, while Lian sat alone in her cold and dark house. Her daughter was gone. 

Melinda came back, broken and pieced together again. William’s leg was acting up, so they met at his house for the next Chinese New Year. Lian could face her ex-husband and all the memories for the sake of their daughter. Melinda had enough ghosts already. The sight of Andrew’s favorite dish. Remembering the time when Phil visited and learned to make dumplings. Daisy was away in space, chasing after another team member, hopefully no longer dead. Dinner was subdued, but at least Melinda was back. 

Time passed. Wounds healed. The scars would always be there, but they weren’t bleeding any more. Finally, one year, Melinda brought Daisy with her to Lian’s house. 

“So you are Daisy.”

“It is an honor to finally meet you, ma’am.” The young woman at the door stood tall and looked confident. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“I sent out the invitation years ago, it took Melinda a while to bring you here.” Lian let them inside the house. “Does she actually talk about me?”

“Nope.” Daisy shook her head and grinned. “But I’ve always wanted to meet the woman who raised Melinda May.”

“Wait until you meet my ex-husband then.” Lian turned to Melinda. “You are going to your father’s next week?”

“Yes.” Melinda had already slipped her shoes off and was walking to the bedroom with her bag. 

“Melinda’s room is on the left. Guest room is on the right,” Lian told Daisy. “Make yourself comfortable.”

They met back in the kitchen. Melinda silently took the knife from Lian and began chopping the scallions still left on the counter. Daisy looked on curiously. 

“What are you making?”

“Dumplings. We will mix the scallions in with the pork.” Melinda nodded at the big bowl of ground meat. 

“Oh, that’s a traditional dish for Chinese New Year right?” Daisy asked. “I can help. Don’t we need to make dumpling skins? Where’s the rolling pin?”

Lian tutted. “Don’t be silly.” She took out two packs of dumpling skins from the fridge. “Here.”

Daisy looked almost betrayed. “You don’t make it from scratch?”

“Do you make your pie crusts from scratch?” Melinda asked. 

“When do I have time to make pie crusts from scratch?” Daisy said. “Heck, when do I have time to make a pie?”

“Exactly.” Melinda finished chopping and put the scallions in the bowl. “Store bought is fine. Here, you can mix.”

Daisy looked at the bowl. “Just mix everything together?”

“Yes, it’s already seasoned,” Lian said. She handed Daisy a pair of chopsticks. “Use these.”

“This is kind of fun.” Daisy began to smile as she stirred the bowl. “Think I can use my powers on this?”

Melinda gave her a pointed look. “No.”

Daisy pouted. “You are no fun.”

Lian watched the exchange in amusement. She was never one to demand or expect grandchildren, and the topic was mute after Bahrain. Maybe this was what it would have been like to have a granddaughter. Witnessing Melinda dealing with someone else’s sass while remembering the antics she used to pull in her youth. 

Daisy put the bowl down as she caught Lian’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t make your kitchen explode.”

“Melinda had tried to cook here before.” Lian began to fold the first dumpling. “It won’t be the first time my kitchen explodes.”

“Ma!”

“I only speak the truth.” Sharing embarrassing anecdotes about her adult offspring was supposed to be a part of the essential grandparent experience. “Have you ever heard about the first time Melinda tried to make dumplings?”

Daisy’s eyes lit up. “No, tell me more.”

Melinda rolled her eyes but didn’t protest. As Lian started telling the story, Melinda showed Daisy how to fold dumplings. Daisy’s laughter filled the room. Melinda smiled. Lian kept her grin to herself. Spring was here again. 

**Author's Note:**

> \- When I asked for Chinese New Year prompts, @the-dc-killjoy/TurtlemanTremors084 suggested May celebrating in s1 and I responded with a long head canon about how May would be too preoccupied with Coulson’s kidnapping to visit her parents, concluding that I couldn’t write that much angst. Later @whistlingwindtree prompted Lian and May and Daisy making dumplings. Hence this fic was born. Thanks for listening to me ramble!


End file.
